This invention relates in general to fuel economizers for carbureted internal combustion engines, and in particular, relates to such a fuel economizer which includes fuel collecting means to collect liquid fuel exiting the carburetor of the engine and has means for contacting the collected fuel with air to effect thorough atomization of the liquid fuel, whereby the fuel supplied to the intake manifold and cylinders of the engine is thoroughly atomized.
One of the basic objectives in carburetor and/or intake manifold design is to provide for thorough atomization of liquid fuel to thus prevent liquid fuel from reaching the cylinders of the engine. Liquid fuel reaching the cylinders of an internal combustion engine is not only detrimental from the standpoint of reduced fuel economy, but liquid fuel in the cylinders also washes lubricant from the cylinder walls, resulting in increased wear of the engine components.
Many attempts have been made in the prior art to devise means for increasing the atomization of liquid fuel to thereby improve the economy of operation of internal combustion engines, and some such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,658,547, 1,814,143, 2,251,999, 2,477,732 and 3,923,027. As can be seen from these prior art patents, previous attempts to solve the above-noted problems range from movable valving members to stationary turbulence producing means. While some of these prior art devices have met with various degrees of success, they all have one or more problems seriously limiting their applicability to internal combustion engines. For example, some of the devices require modification of the carburetor and/or intake manifold for their use, and other devices do not significantly increase atomization of liquid fuel, but merely vary the richness of the air/fuel mixture being supplied to the engine.
With conventionally carbureted engines in use today, a substantial amount of liquid fuel is not atomized by the carburetor and collects in puddles or wet films on the walls of the intake manifold, and in extreme instances is supplied as liquid fuel to the cylinders of the engine. This, of course, results in an excessively rich air/fuel mixture, with the consequence that complete combustion of the fuel is not obtained and the exhaust from the engine thereby contains unburned hydrocarbons which pollute the atmosphere. In order to overcome this, most manufacturers today use various types of exhaust recycling means or catalytic converters or other devices for removing pollutants from the exhaust prior to its being discharged to atmosphere. These devices are expensive and require skilled maintenance, and in some cases are not adequate in operation. Still further, most of these devices seriously hinder the performance of automobile engines.